Summer Boardwalk Baby Blanket

June 22, 2018

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I’m all about challenging myself in crochet, but sometimes I just need a simple pattern to relax with at the end of a long day. This blanket pattern, made completely of single crochet stitches, has been wonderful for that purpose!

I’ve been wanting to design an all-single-crochet blanket because I think the effect is so modern and sleek. Sometimes we get so caught up in thinking we need fancy stitches that we forget how modern a simple, clean design can look. Remember, if you’re gifting a blanket to a new mom with modern taste, she’s not going to care so much about fancy stitchwork – in fact, the fancier the stitchwork, the more “old-fashioned” the project can look. I can almost guarantee that she just wants a cute, soft blanket to wrap her baby in!

I chose the name “Summer Boardwalk Baby Blanket” because the colors remind me so much of the beach, and the multicolored sections remind me of the run-down wooden planks that often line a beach boardwalk.

About the Yarn

I chose Hobby Lobby’s Sweet Delight yarn (from their Baby Bee line) for this project, which is an acrylic baby yarn that is pleasantly soft. Sweet Delight is a really interesting line of DK (that’s #3 weight) yarn, because it boasts a mixture of coordinating solids as well as self-striping, marled, speckled, and variegated colorways, all working together to give you awesome options for colorwork. When I chose the colors for this blanket, I stood in the yarn aisle and searched for a self-striping skein that I loved, then chose three solids that matched the colors contained within it. I also grabbed a white for what has become sort of my signature blanket look – the ribbing on both edges. (So much more modern-looking than a full border!)

Beware, if you choose a different multi-colored yarn than I did to start with (for instance if you wanted to make a girly blanket), some of the multi-colored yarns in the line have long color changes, and some are more of a variegated… and it’s not easy to tell the difference at first glance! I learned this the hard way when I grabbed a skein of this beautiful white, lavender and green mixture. When I got home and started working with it, I discovered it was variegated (meaning, the color changes happened every couple of inches). You might like variegated yarns, but I’m not a huge fan of them, so I didn’t end up using it. If you want to avoid variegated, very carefully inspect the skein before you purchase it and make sure the color changes are more than a couple inches long. (Don’t destroy the skein and put it back on the shelf; that’s not cool.)

Lately, Hobby Lobby has been having this awesome 30% off all yarn sale every other week. I grabbed my yarn on sale week and at $5.29 retail price for 6 skeins, I was able to make this entire blanket for $23. Not bad!

One last thing. I don’t think of myself as a yarn snob, but I am sensitive to scratchy yarns. And when it comes to baby blankets, my standards are especially high. If you’re the same and are wondering how soft this yarn really is, I promise you, it’s soft! For an acrylic yarn, I was thrilled. You know how some yarns feel squishy soft in the skein but then when you start working them up, they just don’t feel that soft anymore? This one maintains its softness. Some of the colors felt softer than others, but I was not a bit disappointed in any of them. This baby blanket is actually a gift for my sister, who is giving birth to my newest nephew this week, if that tells you anything!

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SUMMER BOARDWALK BABY BLANKET

Yarn: Approx. 1,200 yards of #3 DK weight in 5 colors. To achieve the effect in the sample blanket, you’ll need to choose a self-striping yarn and a contrast color (for the ribbing) then choose 3 solid colors that coordinate with the self-striping yarn. Yarn used in sample photos is Yarn Bee Sweet Delight (from Hobby Lobby) in the following colors and amounts:

Notes:(1) This pattern is written in American Standard Terms.
(2) CH1s at the beginning of rows do not count as a stitch in the final stitch count.
(3) Whenever the instructions tell you to switch to a new color, you can fasten off the previous color.
(4) There is no stitch multiple for this pattern. If you want to make it wider, add rows to the first ribbing section. If you want to make it longer, simply repeat the color blocks, or make them thicker.

INSTRUCTIONS

TOP RIBBING

With COLOR A, CH11.

Row 1: SC in 2nd CH from hook and in each remaining CH. (10)

Rows 2-134 (or until ribbing measures about 29-30″ long): CH1, turn. SC in first ST. SC in BLO of each of the next 8 STS. SC in final ST. (10)

– – – – – – – – – –

BODY (Row count restarts back to 1)

Body, Row 1: CH1, do not turn. SC in each row end along the long edge of the ribbing. (134, or however many ribbing rows you completed)

Rows 2-4 (3 rows): CH1, turn. SC in each ST across. (134)

– – – – – – – – – –

Switch to COLOR B.

Rows 5-34 (30 rows): CH1, turn. SC in each ST across. (134)

– – – – – – – – – –

Switch to COLOR A.

Rows 35-38 (4 rows): CH1, turn. SC in each ST across. (134)

– – – – – – – – – –

Switch to COLOR C.

Rows 39-68 (30 rows): CH1, turn. SC in each ST across. (134)

– – – – – – – – – –

Switch to COLOR A.

Rows 69-72 (4 rows): CH1, turn. SC in each ST across. (134)

– – – – – – – – – –

Switch to COLOR B.

Rows 73-102 (30 rows): CH1, turn. SC in each ST across. (134)

– – – – – – – – – –

Switch to COLOR A.

Rows 103-106 (4 rows): CH1, turn. SC in each ST across. (134)

– – – – – – – – – –

Switch to COLOR D.

Rows 107-136 (30 rows): CH1, turn. SC in each ST across. (134)

– – – – – – – – – –

Switch to COLOR A.

Rows 137-140 (4 rows): CH1, turn. SC in each ST across. (134)

– – – – – – – – – –

Switch to COLOR B.

Rows 141-170 (30 rows): CH1, turn. SC in each ST across. (134)

– – – – – – – – – –

Switch to COLOR A.

Rows 171-174 (4 rows): CH1, turn. SC in each ST across. (134)

– – – – – – – – – –

Switch to COLOR E.

Rows 175-204 (30 rows): CH1, turn. SC in each ST across. (134)

– – – – – – – – – –

Switch to COLOR A.

Rows 205-208 (4 rows): CH1, turn. SC in each ST across. (134)

– – – – – – – – – – – – – –

BOTTOM RIBBING

In this section, we will be creating the bottom ribbing by making vertical ribs and attaching them with slip stitches to the last row of the body as we go. We’ll be referring to “Row 208” quite a bit; that’s the last row of the body of the blanket we completed, and that’s what the ribbing will be attaching to. If you need a little extra help, check out my tutorial on how to add ribbing at the end of a crochet project.

CH11.
Row 1: Turn. SC in 2nd chain from hook and in each of the remaining 9 chains. SL ST into the first SC from Row 208, the stitch on which your CH11 was built. SL ST into the next SC from Row 208. (10, plus the two slip stitches along Row 208)

The section we just created, built on the CH11, will hereafter be referred to as the “ribbing.”

Row 2: CH1, turn. Skipping over the 2 SL STS you put in Row 208, SC in BLO of each of the first 9 STS of the ribbing. SC in both loops of the last ST. (10)

Row 3: CH1, turn. SC in 1st ST. SC in BLO of each of the remaining 9 STS of the ribbing. SL ST in each of the next 2 STS of Row 208. (10, plus the 2 SL STS along Row 208)

Row 4: CH1, turn. Skipping over the 2 SL STS you put in Row 208, SC in BLO of each of the first 9 STS of the ribbing. SC in both loops of the last ST. (10)

Rows 5-134: Repeat Rows 3-4 all the way across Row 208. (10)

Fasten off and weave in ends.

– – – – – – – – – –

Done! If you’re sharing on social media, be sure to hashtag #summerboardwalkbabyblanket and tag me @yarnandchai.design!

Comments

What would be the closest color to the darker blue in the Tricycle Time (color B in Summer Boardwalk Baby Blanket)yarn? I am looking to replace the Surf Baby with a blue that is more adult instead of baby. Thanks!

This is beautiful. I’m only about halfway but make a HUGE mistake–there was a break in a skein of yarn and I just kept crocheting instead of cutting the knot and weaving in the ends.
I’m relatively new to crochet, is it normal to take 15 minutes to do a row?